Tag Archives: Non-Fiction

Holy moly! How complicated can it get? Not that I believed for one moment that writing a GOOD non-fiction book proposal – in this case a cookbook proposal – would be easy, but really? Come on! You’ve got to be kidding!

It’s tough enough to come up with a unique idea, back it with credentials and make it shiny with bells and whistles, but when it comes to writing a non-fiction book proposal, I’m convinced a writer needs a suit of armor and many, many weapons to succeed.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry or frustrated or even seriously irritated by the process. It’s actually a necessary one, and I’ve been known to vehemently encourage my Author Success Coach clients to do just that. I explain that writing a good Book Business Plan for fiction (as well as non-fiction) is just as important for gaining success as being born under a lucky star. I’m even teaching an online workshop next week for SavvyAuthors.com on Creating an Effective Book Business Plan, I believe in it THAT much. AND … it’s not like I don’t practice what I preach. I have built several wonderful book business plans that have proven successful in gaining literary agent representation for me. Now I’m pushing through the real jungle to create a powerful non-fiction book proposal for that agent to pitch. It’s a long story and I’ll try to abbreviate it.

Let’s start with the reason. Many writers have a book inside them – different from the one they’re currently pitching or have already become known for. Some fiction writers have a non-fiction lurking deep in their heart, a memoir or historical recounting, something personal and powerful they’d love to get out there. Some publishing professionals say it’s easier to get a fiction published first, then rock a pitch for your non-fiction piece. I say yes, that may be very true, it might be easier, but sometimes wowing someone with something so well conceived and so sharply presented can do the trick too. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if you have a great hook.

My hook? Simple. See, I wrote a fun tongue-in-cheek supernatural romance about a twice dead vampire who gets one last chance to earn heaven. The only problem is, he has to live out his purgatory in a West Hollywood warehouse with several other dead supernaturals, all trying to earn redemption against their natures. Fun huh? My agent fell in love with Cold in Californiaand offered representation within hours of finishing the manuscript. How cool is that? Then suddenly I didn’t know what to do with myself. The baby bird was now under other feathered tutelage and I was left to sigh and wait in the nest.

Having been a chef (among many other crazy things in this long life so far), I have always wanted to write a cookbook using my recipes. Now that I have the time to put together the book proposal, all I needed was the best hook possible. Something that would not only get the recipes out there but somehow build onto a platform for the Cold in California book series my agent is currently toting to publishers. The solution came like a wooden stake to the heart …

A Vampire Cookbook that playfully explored the various vampires in our lives (psychic, emotional and biological). Viola! A concept was born. The plan is to interlock the cookbook series with the supernatural romance Cold in California series and rock them both, letting them feed off each other (pun intended) as well as build on each other. This is a hybrid promotion I’ve never actually seen before in the market. Neat concept; now to mold it into a non-fiction book proposal that will knock the socks off my agent and the publishers he talks to.

Can I do it? Who knows. How hard will I try? Let’s just say I’m looking forward to adding more to the hundreds of rejections I’ve already gotten because baby, it only takes one “yes” to change the trajectory of a writer’s life. The more “nos” I get, the closer I come to a resounding “YES”!

Now for the warnings. This isn’t for the faint of heart at all.Writing a good book proposal is hard. It takes time and diligence, creative problem solving skills and lots of tools. The weapons are simple – creativity, courage, guts and hard work. Your armor must be lined with rejection letters and polished with conviction. The challenges – oh good lord, so many challenges, but if all the required information can be found, you will find it and compile it, by George!

Whew! Thank goodness I’ve already got the recipe part done and in the can.